Actors Whose Careers Were Never The Same After Nude Scenes
On-screen nudity has been around since the invention of the moving picture, although unsurprisingly, it was initially utilized primarily by the French. Filmmakers like George Méliès, Eugène Pirou, and Albert (Léar) Kirchner were among the few to introduce the taboo of nudity in film, both simulated and full-frontal. It would take several more decades for on-screen nudity to evolve into how we know it today. By 1968, the Motion Picture Association of America replaced the rigid Hays Code — which restricted the use of nudity in Hollywood films with exceptions — with a new rating system that still stands today with few changes.
Although our cultural view on depictions of nudity has evolved since the early days of film, a certain stigma still remains. The majority consensus is that nude scenes should only be used if they serve the story, but even this belief is subjective, which is why actors are careful when deciding whether or not to appear nude on screen. Both male and female actors participate in nude scenes, yet more often than not, the latter are disproportionally scrutinized, probed, and objectified by the public. Depending on how society feels that day, nude scenes can either make, break, or drastically change an actor's career. For those who dare to bare it all, here are actors whose careers were never the same after nude scenes.
Dakota Johnson
The film adaptations of the erotic romance book series "Fifty Shades of Grey" gained mainstream popularity unlike any film of its nature before — for better or worse. The film's overtly sexual content was ripe for controversy and intrigue, and the entire trilogy inevitably made more than a billion at the worldwide box office. "Fifty Shades of Grey" stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan skyrocketed in fame overnight, with a press tour consisting of uncomfortable conversations and bad innuendos.
Daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, Johnson was no stranger to the industry. She began making a name for herself with minor roles in movies like "The Social Network" and "21 Jump Street," but her breakout role in "Fifty Shades of Grey" accelerated her career. "I'm a sexual person, and when I'm interested in something, I want to know so much about it," Johnson told Vanity Fair. "That's why I did those big naked movies." Today, she's known for her roles in "The Lost Daughter" and Netflix's "Persuasion," and is heading her own production company, TeaTime Pictures. Looking back at "Fifty Shades" now, Johnson elaborated, "If I had known at the time that's what it was going to be like, I don't think anyone would've done it. It would've been like, 'Oh, this is psychotic.' But no, I don't regret it."
Jamie Dornan
Irish actor Jamie Dornan shares a sentiment similar to Dakota Johnson's regarding the notorious movies that brought them international recognition. Before "Fifty Shades of Grey" even hit theaters, Dornan was already being addressed by his character name, Christian Grey, in real life. This doesn't come as too much of a surprise, given the movie's overwhelmingly female demographic, who had no problem heavily sexualizing and harassing the actor. Dornan has said that he still struggles with being recognized as the character to this day.
The actor has since done his best to separate himself from the franchise, starring in well-received films such as "A Private War" and "Belfast," but he doesn't discount what the movies have done for his career. "The thing is every move I have made in my career, post those films, I have only been able to do because of those films," he said in a British GQ interview. Does that mean he should be forever indebted to the film and its fandom? Depends on who you ask.
Sydney Sweeney
No matter what Sydney Sweeney does, the conversation always comes back to her body, and it seems everyone has an opinion on what the young breakout star chooses to do with it. The hot topic first gained traction with her role as troubled teen Cassie Howard in the HBO series "Euphoria," which features frequent nude scenes of the actor. Although Sweeney has repeatedly expressed feeling comfortable on set and liberated by Cassie's sexual nature, viewers have criticized the show and its creator, Sam Levinson, for portraying unnecessary nudity of an underage character.
No matter your opinion on the subject, Sweeney remains firm in her statement that she's in control. "I'm very proud of my work in 'Euphoria.' I thought it was a great performance. But no one talks about it because I got naked," she told The Independent. "Euphoria" wouldn't be the last time Sweeney participated in a nude scene, and the actor remains completely open to the prospect as she advances in her career. "People forget that I'm playing a character, they think, 'Oh, she gets naked on-screen, she's a sex symbol,'" she told The Hollywood Reporter. "And I can't get past that. I have no problems with those scenes, and I won't stop doing them, but I wish there was an easier way to have an open conversation about what we're assuming about actors in the industry."
Nathalie Emmanuel
Despite its critical acclaim, the HBO series "Game of Thrones" has become infamous for its heavy-handed depictions of nudity, sex, and violence, particularly against female characters. One of those characters was played by Nathalie Emmanuel, who joined the cast as Missandei, one of Daenerys Targaryen's most loyal subordinates, in Season 3. By Season 7, she became one of the many actors who appeared nude on screen, during an intimate moment with costar Jacob Anderson. "Whether you've done it many times, or none at all, it's a big deal. You feel like you're giving something quite vulnerable and, yes, it's hard," Emmanuel told Entertainment Weekly.
Emmanuel's character was overall well-received by viewers until her graphic death in Season 8, which was heavily criticized in terms of imagery and plot development. Her acting career took off in the following years as she landed roles in "The Maze Runner" and "Fast and Furious" franchises. However, her time on "Game of Thrones" has led to assumptions that she's open to doing nude scenes in other shows. "I've had people challenge me and be like, 'But this part requires that,' and I said, 'That's fine if you require that in the part; I don't feel comfortable doing that level of nudity,'" Emmanuel explained on the podcast "Reign with Josh Smith." Luckily, people have been respectful of her pushback more often than not.
Emilia Clarke
When Emilia Clarke took on the role of Daenerys in "Game of Thrones," her life changed forever as she quickly gained worldwide recognition, became one of the highest-paid actors on television, and received multiple award nominations, all within a few short years. However, only 23 years old at the time and still early in her career, Clarke felt blindsided by the nudity required from her for the show.
"I'd been on a film set twice before then, and I'm now on a film set completely naked with all of these people, and I don't know what I'm meant to do, and I don't know what's expected of me," Clarke explained on Dax Shepard's podcast, "Armchair Expert." Eventually, Clarke learned to stand up for herself and became more comfortable performing in nude scenes. "I've had fights on set before where I'm like, 'No, the sheet stays up,' and they're like, 'You don't wanna disappoint your "Game of Thrones" fans.' And I'm like, 'F*** you,'" she added.
Clarke has had no problem securing jobs since "Game of Thrones" and has even had to be picky with which roles she accepts. When "Fifty Shades of Grey" came knocking at her door with an offer to play the leading role, Clarke turned it down without regrets due to the nudity required. "I'd done nudity before and was concerned with being labeled for doing it again," Clarke told The Hollywood Reporter.
Meg Ryan
When you think of Meg Ryan, it's likely that her widely successful romantic comedies come to mind. Throughout the 1990s, whether intentionally or not, Ryan crafted a lighthearted "good girl" image for herself with roles in films like "When Harry Met Sally...," "Sleepless in Seattle," and "You've Got Mail." However, in 2003, Ryan starred in a film unlike anything she'd done before, completely polarizing her fans in the process.
In Jane Campion's erotic thriller "In the Cut," Ryan received such an adverse reaction to performing a graphic nude scene that it ended up being an unexpected turning point in the actor's career. "I was surprised by the negative reaction. I loved the movie and loved that experience and loved Jane Campion," Ryan told The New York Times. "Sexuality in Hollywood is so complex ... I don't know if it was brave or cowardly of me to sort of bob and weave around the issue."
Ryan stepped out of the limelight for a few years before returning for a series of independent films and her directorial debut in 2015, although she told The New York Times that her separation from Hollywood was mutual. She now spends her time traveling, writing, designing, and taking pictures.
Halle Berry
Halle Berry's career quickly took off in the '90s with her 1991 film debut in Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever." Just eight years later, she was receiving critical acclaim for her performance in the HBO biopic "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," which gave her the confidence to take more risks. In 2001, her first-ever topless scene in the movie "Swordfish" made headlines, although Berry claims the one about her receiving an extra $500,000 for the scene is false. "I did the scene because it showed you that the character was in control of her sexuality and very comfortable with herself," she explained during an interview with Cinema.com.
In the face of all the scrutiny she received, Berry didn't waver and even went a step further in her next film, "Monster's Ball," by appearing completely nude during a love scene. Again, her nudity was met with controversy, but her performance ultimately paid off when she became the first woman of color to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. Why didn't her costar, Billy Bob Thornton, experience the same level of debate over his body? There seems to be a theme of attractive women exclusively getting the short end of the stick.
Margot Robbie
Since the "Barbie" movie crossed the $1 billion threshold at the worldwide box office, there's been no escaping Margot Robbie's star power. But it wasn't all that long ago that Robbie was first getting her start on the Australian soap opera "Neighbours." Her big break came in 2013 when she was cast in Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" as Jordan Belfort's (Leonardo DiCaprio) wife, Naomi Lapaglia. The film was the world's introduction to Robbie, and she made quite the impression. Although the famous love scene between the two costars — in which Robbie appears nude — did plenty to capture the attention of audiences, it was Robbie's performance that secured her ticket to mainstream success.
Initially, performing nude didn't come naturally to Robbie, but knocking back a couple of tequila shots helped. "It really helped stop my hands shaking, and gave me a little boost of confidence," she told The New York Times. Today, showing some skin doesn't faze her as much, "I don't really have a whole lot of modesty left," she told Vanity Fair. Perhaps Robbie's career is proof that actors are better off baring it all from the beginning; that way, there's nothing else left to hide.
Kate Winslet
Almost no nude scene is more iconic than the one in which Rose (Kate Winslet) poses for Jack's (Leonardo DiCaprio) drawing in James Cameron's "Titanic." In fact, it was the first scene Winslet and DiCaprio filmed together, making for an awkward experience. But it was the public's response that really did the most damage. "In my 20s, people would talk about my weight a lot. And I would be called to comment on my physical self," Winslet revealed to The Guardian. Along with being thrust into the spotlight, Winslet holds some negative memories from this early time in her career. To her horror, fans continue to present photos from the scene for Winslet to autograph, which she respectfully declines.
Since "Titanic," Winslet has appeared in several nude scenes in films like "The Reader," "Revolutionary Road," "Little Children," and "Lee." However, more than two decades later, the actor continues to deal with body-shaming. "You know I had to be really f***ing brave about letting my body be its softest version of itself and not hiding from that," she told Vogue about one scene in "Lee." She added, "And believe me, people amongst our own team would say, 'You might just want to sit up a bit.' And I'd go, 'Why? [Because of] the bit of flesh you can see? No, that's the way it's going to be!'" Instead, Winslet relied on herself for the confidence that solidified her as one of the top actors of her generation.
Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren is a highly decorated actor who began her career in theater in the late 1960s and broke out onto the film scene in 1980, when she costarred in "The Long Good Friday." But before she became known for her standout performances as both Queens Elizabeth in the series "Elizabeth I" and the film "The Queen" or Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison in the British crime drama "Prime Suspect," Mirren was reluctantly known as a sex symbol.
"I grew up in the Sixties. It was all supposed to be about sexual liberation, but that was all a complete con. The men still called the shots," Mirren explained to The Daily Mail. She continued, "Looking back, liberation did involve a lot of exploitation. I didn't enjoy those scenes, but I felt it was important for me to push myself out of my comfort zones."
After her role in the sexually explicit film "Caligula," the press, the industry, and the rest of the public were under the impression that nothing was off limits, including the sexualization of Mirren outside of her character. Just take her extremely uncomfortable interview with British talk show host Michael Parkinson, for example. "In the end, it was a woman who actually did truly liberate me," Mirren told The Daily Mail, crediting Lynda La Plante for coming up with the fully fleshed-out character of DCI Jane Tennison.
Daniel Radcliffe
If you haven't kept up with Daniel Radcliffe's career since his years portraying the boy who lived in the "Harry Potter" film series, you may find his addition to this list surprising. But in an attempt to break out of the Harry Potter mold, Radcliffe has spent the last decade taking on drastically different roles, which have included a fair amount of nudity, both on stage and on screen. From Radcliffe's perspective, the constant nudity isn't exactly a conscious career choice. "In a way it's just bad luck. Everything that's really interesting to me happens to involve some massive, scary thing, like getting my d*** out or learning to dance," he told The Guardian.
Radcliffe is well aware of the reputation he's crafting, and he isn't exactly thrilled about it. When it came to a discussion about a potential nude scene in the series "A Young Doctor's Notebook," Radcliffe pushed back. "I think there was a discussion about possible nudity for one scene and I think my comment was, 'I got naked in three films last year, please can I not?' At some point, everyone's going to start assuming I'm an exhibitionist," he revealed to The Guardian later.
Greta Scacchi
As an Italian-Australian actor trying to get work in Hollywood in the late '80s and early '90s, Greta Scacchi says going nude was the only way — refuse, and you might be labeled as "difficult" and not get work at all. Naturally, her nude scenes in films like "Heat And Dust," "White Mischief," and "Shattered" became a part of her identity as an actor. Navigating the environment on film sets proved problematic — like the time she pushed back on director Robert Altman's insistence on a nude scene in "The Player."
"He agreed, but when it came to the day of the shoot, he told me, 'Get yourself on the set, take your knickers off and do what you're paid to do.' I refused, so he had to shoot the scene with me and Tim Robbins having sex from the neck up," Scacchi recounted to the Daily Mail.
Now in her 60s, the promiscuous reputation still followed Scacchi for years. "Nobody asks me to strip off anymore," she said. "A good thing too, because at my age there are some things a woman wants to keep to herself, and in any case I always refused to be pigeon-holed." Contrary to the popular belief that all women who appear nude on screen are doing it exclusively for money and fame, years of experience gave Scacchi the confidence and freedom to turn down lucrative work she deemed unnecessarily exploitative, including the lead role in "Basic Instinct."
Sharon Stone
As for the actor who ended up taking the role of Catherine Tramell in the erotic thriller "Basic Instinct," Sharon Stone is well aware of what the film did for her and her career. "It's about more than just a peek up my skirt, people. Wake up. Women championed that movie; men were obsessed with a woman who could make it stop. She was their favorite. But now, only now, do I go to events and there is a certain respect about that film," Stone wrote for Vanity Fair.
But at the time, the only thing anyone could talk about was the scene where Stone spreads her legs. While shooting, Stone was told her private area was not visible, but she needed to remove her underwear regardless. During a viewing of the movie, Stone discovered she was lied to. She ultimately decided to keep the scene in. "Why? Because it was correct for the film and for the character; and because, after all, I did it," she explained.
This was only one instance of many that Stone has had to put up with in her career. In her Vanity Fair article, Stone lists her multiple encounters with harassment, from one director who demanded Stone sit on his lap to another shaming her and her mother when Stone refused to act out a degrading scene. Still, she persisted, writing in Vanity Fair, "I did my best to make it count."
Eva Mendes
Since becoming a mother in 2014, Eva Mendes has taken a step out of the acting spotlight, with her last film role being Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, "Lost River." But as she was getting her start, her looks were a hot topic among many. Perhaps her brief semi-nude scenes in her breakout film "Training Day" gave people the impression that Mendes was satisfied with being regarded as a sex symbol, or maybe people didn't care either way. "Being sexy is just one component of who I am — it's a thing I can be. It's a side of myself I can tap into ... It's not what I am," Mendes told The Sun.
After "Training Day," suddenly everyone was paying attention to her. "I know that was the first role that put me on the map in this business," she said. "But I know I can do the kind of work where people are going to recognize me just as much for my determination and sensitivity and humor as for being sexy." Ultimately, Mendes hasn't let the scrutiny discourage her, but it's still a mystery why showing a little skin has had such a long-lasting influence on her image.
Ewan McGregor
No male Hollywood actor has spent more time nude on screen than Ewan McGregor, appearing full frontal on multiple occasions since his claim to fame in 1996's "Trainspotting." As far as McGregor is concerned, it's not as big of a deal as everyone makes it out to be, and he's fine with doing it if it makes sense. "I've not done it in some films when asked to, because I felt it was gratuitous," he told The Telegraph. "But films reflect our lives. I love romantic films, and part of that in our modern world is sex."
Whether he's flashing his "Little Ewan" in "Velvet Goldmine" or pantsless on the toilet in "Trainspotting," his nude scenes are among the most memorable. However, most of his record-breaking onscreen nudity comes from the 1996 erotic drama "The Pillow Book," in which McGregor plays an English translator sent to Japan who spends most of the movie sans clothing.
Since reaching the age of 40 in 2011, McGregor has been trying to shake off his nudist reputation by swearing off explicit scenes altogether, especially with younger actresses. "You never want female co-stars to feel like you're taking advantage of the situation," he explained to Express. Still, the actor holds no regrets about his past nude scenes.
Angelina Jolie
While one might assume that having two parents well-versed in the entertainment industry would have protected a young Angelina Jolie from the exploitation often prevalent in Hollywood, that unfortunately wasn't the case when she was cast in her first film, "Cyborg 2," at the age of 17.
When casting a minor, certain rules and regulations are put into place for a reason, but director Michael Schroeder made it his mission to sidestep these laws. "I just didn't have that luxury; I had to shoot, shoot, shoot," he told Hollywood Gothique. His solution: urge Jolie to emancipate herself. "She was the most mature 17-year-old I've ever met," Schroeder said. Red flags galore — Jolie performed her first nude scene in "Cyborg 2," appearing topless as an emancipated 17-year-old. When she saw the film for the first time, it made her sick.
This experience didn't detour Jolie from later appearing nude in movies like "The Good Shepherd," "Foxfire," "Taking Lives," "Gia," "Original Sin," and "By The Sea." But since her double mastectomy, Jolie admitted to being more reluctant. Like most actors who have performed nude, Jolie will now only disrobe when the story calls for it.
Brooke Shields
Throughout her formative years, Brooke Shields faced some of the greatest injustices in the history of the entertainment industry. Her mother began booking her modeling gigs when she was only 11 months old. By age 11, she was appearing nude in her big-break film "Pretty Baby," playing a 12-year-old prostitute. Two years later, she found herself subjected to further sexualization through nude scenes in "The Blue Lagoon." While filming a sex scene in "Endless Love" at age 16, director Franco Zeffirelli got physical with Shields and twisted her toe to get the desired look of ecstasy from the actor. Between these movies and her explicit modeling ads, Sheilds was propped up as a child sex symbol. "Sometimes I'm amazed I survived any of it," Shields admitted in her Hulu documentary, "Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields."
As horrific as her upbringing sounds, Shields doesn't think of herself as being exploited. "I can't be a hypocrite and on the one hand say, 'I'm going to sell your stuff,' and then put it down or say, 'Oh, I'm being used.' Either do it or don't do it ... I don't believe in going, 'Poor me.' If I go do a movie about a prostitute in the nineteen-hundreds, I know the part I'm playing. Your eyes are wide open. It's convenient to become a victim," she told The New Yorker.
Eva Green
French actor Eva Green made her film debut in Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Dreamers" and was instantly on everyone's radar. In the film, Green plays a provocative twin who spends most of the runtime engaging in sexual acts and appearing nude. Although "The Dreamers" has been credited with kickstarting her career, those close to her weren't too happy with her decision to star in the film, including her parents and agent.
"They were scared that I would have the same destiny as Maria Schneider," she told The Guardian. Schneider has accused Bertolucci of exploiting her in the sexually explicit "Last Tango in Paris." But despite the warnings and the frequent nudity, Green was eager to do the film. "I was like, 'I don't care!' I loved the story. I thought it was just a really beautiful love story between three people," she explained to Vulture. However, she describes feeling shocked after watching the film and has refused to revisit any of her work ever since.
"The Dreamers" wasn't the last time she appeared nude on screen, but Green is more particular now about taking off her clothes. When it came to her role in the 2006 James Bond film "Casino Royale," Green fought against a nude scene that would have felt out of place. Luckily, Green has avoided being typecast throughout her career, taking on plenty of diverse roles.
Elizabeth Berkley
In the '90s, Elizabeth Berkley was known for her role as the high achieving, well-intentioned Jessie Spano in the sitcom "Saved by the Bell," but when she left the show to expand her career into film, her big screen debut generated unexpected controversy. In 1995's "Showgirls," Berkley plays an aspiring showgirl and performs several sex and nude scenes. The big-budget film was the first of its kind to receive an NC-17 rating in the United States and faced harsh condemnation from critics. The transition from teen sitcom to erotic drama proved too jarring for audiences, and many attacked Berkley for trying too hard to revamp her image.
20 years later, director Paul Verhoeven came forward to apologize for ruining Berkley's career. "It was all my fault," he claimed, according to The New York Post. During an anniversary screening of the film in Los Angeles, Berkley reflected on her experience, saying, "I had the most extraordinary experience making the film ... Which is why, when the movie came out, it was more painful than anything you can imagine." She added, "To be a young girl in the center of that was something that was quite difficult."
Chloë Sevigny
Chloë Sevigny was the "it-girl" in the '90s, but her career took a big hit after her role in the experimental drama "The Brown Bunny" on account of an explicit scene of Sevigny's character performing fellatio on star and director Vincent Gallo. The latter was criticized heavily as well, but it was nothing compared to what Sevigny faced for simply taking part in his vision.
Audiences and critics alike were digging a grave for Sevigny's career, but the actor said that doing the film and the scene reaffirmed her desire to be an actor who pushed at boundaries. "I think it was a way of kind of reclaiming myself," she said in an interview at the 2017 Provincetown Film Festival (via W magazine). She felt no shame about the scene then and even less so now. In fact, she said that her performance in "The Brown Bunny" led to her first studio film, "Zodiac."
Alexandra Daddario
In Season 1 of HBO's "True Detective," Alexandra Daddario plays the role of Lisa Tragnetti, a court stenographer who has an affair with Detective Martin "Marty" Hart (Woody Harrelson). In one now-famous scene from Episode 2, "Seeing Things," Daddario's character Lisa undresses during an intimate moment with Marty. It's a turning point for the show, but to Daddario, it was just a small role. "Getting naked on a show where I didn't have a huge role, I didn't know what to expect," she told Collider.
To Daddario's surprise, it was one of the best things she could've done for her career. "[My manager] calls me in the morning after the episode aired and she was like, 'The phone's been ringing off the hook all morning. The phone won't stop ringing!' And all of a sudden, everyone in town wanted to meet with me and then I booked 'San Andreas,'" Daddario revealed. Although she wasn't expecting all the attention, Daddario feels gratitude for the opportunity and has expanded into lead roles on series like "The White Lotus" and "Mayfair Witches."